'Wonuts' the latest Chicago foodie sensation

Alex Hernandez makes "wonuts," a cross between a donut and a waffle, at Waffles Cafe on East Ohio Street in Chicago on Monday, April 28, 2014. (Terrence Antonio James, Chicago Tribune)

For chef Alex Hernandez, there are not enough hours in the day, nor enough wonuts in the world.

To add a little buzz to the opening of his second Waffles Café in Streeterville last week, Hernandez formally launched the wonut — a waffle-donut combination — never suspecting that he was onto the latest breakfast-pastry sensation.

But the wonut became an international object of foodie fascination soon after the website Thrillist.com last week posted pictures of wonuts being baked, fried, glazed and adorned with frosting and sprinkles. A wonut is basically a deep-fried version of Waffles Café's staple fare, tricked out, donut-style. The website Buzzfeed, purveyor of all things viral, last week devoted one of its signature listicles to the wonut, under the headline "The 'Wonut' Is Proof That A Benevolent Food God Exists.'"

"It just exploded from there," Hernandez said Monday, as he neared the end of what would be a 15-hour shift that began at 5 a.m.

Last week, he was so swamped, he barely had time to speak to reporters, who were calling from as far away as London and Singapore. He also has fielded queries about "franchising" the wonut to bakeries outside Chicago.

The wonut phenomenon seems similar to the craze last year that developed around the half-croissant, half-donut "cronut" that debuted at a New York bakery.

Demand for the wonut has far oustripped his 12-dozen wonuts per day at the two Waffles Café locations, a phenomenon that has taken Hernandez by surprise.

Hernandez had been fine-tuning his recipes at his original Lakeview location as far back as February: red velvet with sour cream icing; Mexican chocolate; green tea with pistachios; tiramisu; gluten-free cinnamon and sugar; vegan maple-glazed; and s'mores. At the time, Hernandez was waffling on a name, calling them first "waffle donuts," then leaning toward the doffle. He initially eschewed the more catchy wonut name because he feared comparisons to the cronut.

By any name, the wonuts sold well. Monday’s run sold out at the Lakeview location after 15 minutes, and the new Streeterville store was out within about an hour of opening. Wonuts sell for $2.25 each, though last week, a man from Tennessee arrived at Waffles Café after the day’s supply of wonuts had sold out, and offered Hernandez $100 to whip up another batch. Hernandez said he declined the $100, but made an extra batch.

"We're looking at adding staff," to keep up, Hernandez said Monday, adding that as a show of gratitude — and if he can recruit a few extra pastry chefs on at least a temporary basis — he will up production and risk blowing up the Internet with a $1 wonut special.

After spotting the wonut on Thrillist last week, surgeon Omar Al-Nouri made a special trip in search of wonuts on Sunday and missed out. But he returned Monday night and was able to secure four wonuts from a batch Hernandez started for his evening customers.